Twitch Plays Pokemon: Battle Royale
by lifesbutawalkingshadow
Summary: 64 characters enter. Only one can leave. A Hunger Games-esque free-for-all murder-romp, based on the characters and events of Twitch Plays Pokemon. Contains swearing, blood & violence.
1. Round 1

_So, before I start, I should probably explain some things._

_This story was written piecemeal, scene-by-scene, based upon a Twitch Plays Pokemon popularity voting contest. Each round, numerous groups were compiled, usually containing four characters each. The results of polling defined the story; if your character came first or second, they survived to the next round. If not..._

_Well. You'll see._

_This tournament assumes some pre-knowledge of the characters of Twitch Plays Pokemon, and also tends to reference in-jokes. If murder is your thing, you'll probably enjoy it regardless, but the personalities of many, especially the in-game protagonists (Red, AJ, A, Alice, Napoleon, Aoooo, Jimmy) and Bill, come largely from there. As this is an action story based on a poll, it also just assumes that the 'tournament' is absolute. So unlike the Hunger Games or Battle Royale, attention is given entirely to the characters. The 'organizing body' is not mentioned, or relevant to the story._

_64 characters; 7 Protagonists, 11 Rivals, 5 Major Canon Antagonists (including Cyrus), 3 Non-Canon Antagonists, 10 Gym Leaders, 4 Champions, 7 Elite Four Members, 5 Members of Team Galactic (including Cyrus), 5 Pokemon Professors, and 7 Miscellaneous. Let the bloodbath begin._

Round 1: Beginnings

xXx

_Groups 1 & 2_

xXx

The klaxon blared.

**Red** launched himself out of the gate, feet slipping and skidding on the rocky gravel underfoot. All around him, other shapes did the same, fleeing out into the wide, empty expanse of the gravel quarry.

To his left, the slender, red-haired form of **Silver** made a beeline for **Lance**, switchblade snapping into hand.

At the right, **Whitney** barreled towards **Morty**, a huge iron mace clasped firmly between two slender hands.

A terrified **Will** skittered into his field of vision, followed by the terrifying, black-cloaked form of **Ghetsis Harmonia**. Will stumbled, and the sharpened point of Ghetsis' staff punched through his lower back.

Red tried to force himself to a stop, but momentum carried him forward, driving him into Ghetsis and sending the two tumbling across the ground.

Over by the gate, Silver slipped under Lance's guard, and with a cry of exhalation drove the switchblade deep between his ribs. The cry caught Morty off guard, and Whitney's mace ploughed into the side of his head with bone-crushing force, sending his body spinning into a wall.

Shoving himself up, Ghetsis growled and grabbed Red by the shoulders, using his superior strength to flip the boy over. The larger man straddled him and pulled a thin, metal spike out of his coat, raising it high.

"I'm going to win this. Apologies." he hissed, eyes bright with anticipation.

Suddenly, there was an overwhelmingly bright explosion of light, and something black and heavy slammed into Ghetsis' side. The man was flung off Red, the sharp rocks slicing through his cloak like paper as he slid across the rough terrain.

Team Plasma's leader let out a groan of pain, which quickly turned to disgust when he realized that he was currently lying under the charred body of Silver. Ghetsis pushed the body off and got up, his eyes locking onto the man responsible.

**Wattson** stepped into Red's field of vision, sparking electricity crackling between two huge, metal gauntlets strapped to the man's forearms.

"This battle is electrifying! Looks like you don't quite have the zip, Ghetsis! WAHAHAHAHAH!"

xXx

_Group 4_

xXx

**Jupiter** crept across the dark, empty field, garrote in hand. A short distance away, **Professor Birch** lay slumped against a thick, black log, his thick head silhouetted by a fire that he had oh-so-stupidly kindled for himself.

Movement caught her eye. Jupiter froze. On the summit of a hill, red-coated form outlined by the brilliant white radiance of the moon, stood **Bill**.

He waved at her.

Jupiter dropped into the dirt, heart thundering in her chest. How had he seen her? This... she needed to get out of here! Birch would know, he...

... He wasn't moving.

And then, with a mounting horror, she realized that, from the very beginning, **Professor Birch had not moved once**.

A strong, muscular arm wrapped around her throat, and a rough voice... **Koga's** voice... spoke in her ear, "Sorry. You just got out-ninja'd."

Her eyes flashed up to the hilltop. But Bill was gone.

_Crack_.

xXx

_Group 3_

xXx

Vines and branches whipping at her face, covered head to toe in cuts and bruises, **Hilda** fled headlong through the trees, blood pumping in her ears.

Two sounds came from behind her; the frantic stumbles of **Professor Elm**, and the quiet, methodical tread of the predator that been hunting them for the last day.

She heard Elm's shin slam into a rock, heard him gasp in pain and come to a stop. A second later, there was a soft chink of a blade hitting bone, a gasp of pain, and then nothing.

And then, the tread resumed.

Body leaden with exhaustion, Hilda slipped on a patch of moss. Her legs came out from under her, and her head whacked into a tree, sending stars dancing across her eyes.

A groan of fear and pain escaped her lips, and she tried to regain her feet. She had only managed to reach her knees when the shadowy form of **Cyrus** emerged from behind a tree, the long, thin blade in his hands glittering in the starlight.

The empty, sharklike eyes of Team Galactic's leader settled on her quivering form, and he stepped towards her. Cyrus calmly placed the point of the sword on her chest, then drew back to strike, not a flicker of emotion crossing his face.

A whistle of air came from her right. Cyrus leapt backwards, a throwing hatchet ripping through the air where he had been an instant earlier. **Giovanni** stepped out into the moonlight, shirt ripped away to reveal a bare, muscular chest.

He looked at her. "Can you fight?"

Hilda scrabbled to her feet. "Yes! Yes, I can!"

He nodded once, then tossed her a sword scabbard, which she somehow managed to catch through her grogginess. "Good. Then..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Cyrus darted forward, blade poised to strike Giovanni through the heart. With frightening speed, the Team Rocket Leader reached up and caught the blade in his hand. He let out a grunt of pain, blood streaming down his arms. "Now! Go!"

Hands shaking, Hilda clumsily slid the sword out of the scabbard and ran forward. Cyrus' eyes widened a fraction, and he tried to move backwards, but Giovanni's uninjured hand snaked forward, catching him by the shirt. "Oh no you don't."

_Shick._

Hilda's blade struck true. Cyrus twitched once, looked down at the sword sticking out of his side, then died without a word.

Giovanni released the body, letting it collapse to the earth. He turned to her, nodding once. "Thank you. Keep the sword."

And then he was gone.

xXx

_Groups 7 & 8_

xXx

A shot rang out behind him. **Brendan** ducked reflexively, a branch next to his head exploding in a shower of splinters and bark chips.

**Lt Surge** pumped his shotgun, spent shell cartridge falling to the mossy forest floor. "You can't run forever, kid! We're coming for ya!"

Brendan burst out of the treeline, finding himself on a wide, open road. His head span from one side to the other, searching for something, _anything_, he could use.

Nothing.

Heavy footsteps came from behind. Brendan turned to see the hulking form of **Bruno** fly out of the bushes, muscled arm pulled back to strike.

Brendan lashed out with his truncheon, but it had no more effect on Bruno than it would have on a charging rhinoceros. The huge man buried his fist in Brendan's stomach, actually lifting the boy off the ground. Brendan let out a wheeze of pain, staggering down onto his knees as Bruno closed in for the kill.

_Vroooooom!_

A black, red-streaked van roared around the corner, ploughing into Bruno with bone-breaking force. The Elite Four member flipped through the air, broken body slamming into a tree with a sickening crunch.

The van skidded to a halt. The black barrel of an M4 Carbine was shoved out the side window, as the person inside opened fire on the treeline. Lt Surge ducked behind a tree, bullets ripping through the foliage around him.

Brendan pushed himself to his feet, still dry-retching from Bruno's blow.

The van door was flung open, the driver making furious, emphatic motions with the M4.

"Get the fuck in already!" roared **Camilla A. Slash**.

xXx

_Group 5_

xXx

**Four** launched themselves across the gravel, scythe pulled back to swing.

**Aaron** raised his crowbar, but it was too little too late. The blade sliced through the air in a wicked arc, ripping through the flesh of Aaron's waist and severing his spinal cord in two.

The Elite Four member muttered something intelligible, slumped to his knees, and tumbled, face-first, into the dirt.

Four yanked the scythe out of his body, searching for the next threat. Nothing.

The gravel pits were mostly empty now. Only two other figures remained, battling in the blackened aftermath of Wattson's rampage. At the other side of the depression, **Aoooo** was skittering across the pits, yowling in fear. Behind her came **Looker**, coattails flying in the wind as he pursued her. A bloodstained knife was held in one hand, a knuckleduster in the other.

Four slung the scythe up onto their shoulder, ready to move the second either turned their attention to them. The full moon was just coming out from behind the clouds, so visibility...

..The full moon.

_The full moon!_

Aoooo suddenly came to a stop, hunching over as her yowling became something... much more guttural. Four took one look at the fur expanding out across her back, and took off in the other direction as fast as she could possibly muster.

Ten seconds later, Four heard a tearing sound from behind them, followed by Looker's terrified scream. Turning for a second, they were greeting with the sight of a grey, furry shape dig its fangs into Looker's neck.

The thing looked up, golden eyes locking with Four's. "AOOOOOOOOOO!"

Four ran faster.

xXx

_Group 6_

xXx

**Drake** moved to step out from behind the column, only to yank his head backwards as a crossbow bolt whistled through the air next to it, almost grazing his temple.

A short distance away, crouching behind a collapsed pillar, **Green** smirked at him. "Hah! You're quick, I'll give ya that. Smell ya..."

All of a sudden, Green went white as a sheet. Eyes wide as saucers, the boy turned and took off deeper into the rock maze as fast as his legs could carry him, empty crossbow clattering to the floor behind him.

A roaring, whooshing sound came from behind him. Whirling around, Drake was met with the sight of **Bianca** scrabbling backwards from behind a pillar a short distance away, hands raised in front of her face. A stream of flames burst out of the shadows behind her, wrapping her in fire. There was a small scream, and then her burnt body tumbled to the floor.

**Misty** stepped out from behind the rocks, flamethrower in hand, face twisted into an expression of insane glee. "Hey Drake! Do you like my new battle tactic? It's called _burn everything_!"

She turned the nozzle towards him, firing off a burst. Drake stumbled backwards, his skin prickling at the insane heat. He dropped low, taking off into the maze while trying to keep as many pillars between him and Misty as possible.

The Cerulean gym leader came after him, shouting in glee. Blasts of fire pursued him, setting his clothes ablaze. He tore off his coat and hat, flinging them aside, not slowing for an instant.

Drake sped round a corner, momentarily concealed from Misty's view. The gym leader leapt over the collapsed pillar that Green had fired at him from, then dropped to the ground. Grabbing the empty crossbow that the boy had dropped, he sent it skittering loudly across the ground ahead, then pressed himself into the pillar, making himself as small as possible.

Running footsteps came from behind him. Misty leapt over the pillar, eyes flicking left and right as she tried to locate him. The second her feet touched the ground, Drake leapt to his feet, and ploughed his right fist into her lower back.

Misty screamed in pain and rage, curving around his arm to point the flamethrower at his head. Drake's left arm shot forward like a viper, reaching for the weapon. His hand had just wrapped around the nozzle when Misty pulled the trigger.

Flames engulfed his left arm. Drake roared in agony, driving his whole body forward. The torrent of fire stopped, the flamethrower clattering across the ground as the two tumbled across the ground.

His whole body wracked with agony, Drake lashed out, his fist cracking Misty across the face. The Cerulean gym leader reared back, then grabbed his arm and sank her teeth into his hand.

Instantly, everything went fuzzy. A coldness spread across his body with terrifying speed, draining every trace of energy. Drake slumped to the ground, all ability to move vanishing.

Slowly, painfully, Misty got to her feet. Lifting the flamethrower off the ground, she grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of teeth lined with jagged needles.

"Hey Drake! Now, Misty beats you!"

xXx

_Groups 7 & 8X_

xXx

**Saturn** strode into the center of the clearing, swinging the spiked metal flail in lazy arcs. "It's time to make your choice, Erika. And believe me, I'm the better one."

**Erika** shrank down into herself, katana hanging limply by her side. "I... "

**Professor Oak** glared at Saturn, grenade in hand, finger on the pin. He was dressed in full riot gear, a bandolier of explosives strapped across his chest. "He will turn on you the second he gets back to Cyrus. I..."

"Yaaaaah!"

A dark-haired, lab-coated figure fell out of one of the trees.

**Fennel** got to her feet, brushing twigs out of her hair. "I fell asleep. That was silly of me."

The three turned as one. There was a beat's silence. Then Saturn propelled himself forward, flail swinging through the air.

Fennel jumped backwards, the metal ball flying harmlessly to the side. "No! No metal!"

Saturn growled in frustration, pressing the attack. Fennel twirled out of the way like a dancer, face set in an excited grin. "Not my blood! Not my blood!"

Erika ran forward, blade in hand. At the same time, Saturn lashed out with a powerful strike, swinging in a wide, vertical arc. Fennel stopped moving backwards and instead surged forward, flipping herself over Saturn's weapon arm. As she did so, her foot caught him in the face, sending him stumbling forward.

Fennel's momentum carried her over Saturn, her feet coming to rest on the ground behind him. Seizing the opportunity, Erika pulled the sword back to strike, aiming for Fennel's waist. Fennel grinned, and tapped at the device on her wrist. "Entralink!"

A second before the sword met flesh, Fennel disappeared in a flash of light. Unable to stop herself, Erika continued forward. With a squelch, her blade slid deep into the nape of Saturn's neck.

Saturn let out a scream, swinging his flail behind him in a wide arc. The metal ball slammed into Erika's temple, and she crumpled like a broken doll.

A second later, Fennel reappeared in one of the trees above. Her gaze to swung to Professor Oak. "Wow-ee!"

Eyes wide, Oak drew back his arm and flung the grenade at her. Fennel jumped towards it, catching it in one hand. Then she vanished, reappearing next to him.

Fennel handed Professor Oak the live grenade. "Now was not the time to use that."

She disappeared.

xXx

_Group 12_

xXx

The roiling storm raging around them, four figures faced eachother down on the top of the mountain.

**Charon** leveled the flintlock at **N**, yelling to be heard above the gale-force winds that buffeted his clothes and hair, "Any of you come a step closer, I will shoot you in the goddamn head!"

"The instant you move, the other two take you apart!" **Bebe** roared back, hands tightening around Aaron's crowbar so hard they went white.

Charon snarled at her, a wordless sound of rage and frustration. At that moment, **Professor Juniper** leapt forward, metal pipe held high. Her foot slipped, and the strike went wide. The sole living Team Galactic member whirled back around, flintlock raised.

_Bang!_

The metal ball shot through the air, entering Juniper's skull through her temple, going through straight through the head before punching out through the lower right-part of her chin in an explosion of blood and bone.

Bebe and N shot forward at the same moment. N came in from behind, arms coiling around Charon's shoulders in a full-nelson. Screaming in rage, Bebe brought the crowbar down on the grey haired man's head. Charon died instantly, head snapping to the side with a sickening crack.

N span around, and flung the body off the mountain.

xXx

_Groups 9, 10 & 11_

xXx

The katana sang through air on a collision course with **Napoleon's** neck. He jerked backwards, and the blade tore through his cravat instead, neatly slicing it in half.

**Mars** stepped forward, mouth set in a wide grin. "Come here, little boy."

He was about to respond when something hard bounced off the back of his head. Napoleon span to see a throwing knife clatter to the ground behind him. A few meters away, **Lorelei** fumbled with a belt blade, trying to pull out the next one.

A throwing knife. He'd just been hit in the back of the head by _the handle of a throwing knife!_ If it had curved a little more, if Lorelei had actually known what she was doing...

"Pay attention!"

Napoleon dived to the side, Mars' weapon piercing the space that he'd been a second before. Rolling through the dust to his feet, Napoleon took off in a run, cursing the loss of his weapon.

The yard, surrounded on three sides by rusted chain-fences, was filled with figures locked in combat with each other. **Norman** and **Dawn** faced off in the center, each waiting for the other to make a move. **Alice** and **Pearl** had their arms wrapped around each other's throats, squeezing with all their might. By the wall, **Burgular Arnie** was backing **Blue** into a corner, a wooden table hefted high over his head. **Brock** watched it all from the sidelines, battleaxe ready.

"How artistic! How elegant!"

Another figure entered onto the scene, striding casually into the middle of the yard. **Wallace**, hands in pockets, looked left, then right, and grinned. "Wonderful."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Brock charged him from behind, weapon ready. Quick as a flash, Wallace twirled on his heel, hands flying out of his pockets. Two knives shot forward, twice, five times, ten times, sparkling silver lightning in the evening sunlight. Brock stumbled, then fell, then Wallace kicked him in the face.

To Napoleon's left, Dawn bodyslammed Norman into the dirt, roaring in triumph. By the wall, Burgular Arnie brought the table down hard on Blue's head again and again, the wooden edge drenched in scarlet blood.

Napoleon took off in a run, trying as far away from his potential killers as possible. Mars turned away from him, giving priority to the bigger threat. But Wallace was already there. White cloak flying, he planted a blade in her chest, he shoved the other one into her throat.

Lorelei lunged forward, knife poised to stab. Without even turning to look, Wallace yanked the blade out of Mars' throat and plunged it deep into Lorelei's eye socket. Lorelei crumpled without a sound.

Sensing she was outclassed, Dawn leapt to her feet, stamping her heel down hard on Norman's throat, then taking off in the other direction as fast as she could possibly move. Alice shoved Pearl off and did the same, followed immediately by Burgular Arnie. Wallace span, eyes flicking between possible victims.

His gaze landed on Napoleon.

The boy tried to run, but Wallace was faster. Napoleon had almost reached the treeline when he felt the Champion's knife pierce his shoulder, the shock sending him lurching headfirst into a tree.

He had only a second to regain his bearings before Wallace flipped around over with his foot, raising the second knife to strike. "How... magnificent!"

Suddenly, the Champion froze. Napoleon looked down to see a metal spike protruding out of Wallace's stomach, only inches from his neck.

The spike retracted. Wallace fell. And **Youngster Joey** stepped into his place, mouth set in a wide grin. "That's right! My fighting skills are in the top percentage of fighting skills!"

_xXx_

_Group 13_

xXx

"C'mon..."

**Cheren** picked his way up the mountain, pistol dangling from a belt at his side, raven hair damp and unkempt from the rain.

"C'mon... C'mon, almost there..."

He reached the top, crouching beneath the line of rocks that concealed him from the other side.

"Just a little further, one is all it will take..."

Cheren poked his head over the top.

"Cheers."

Bang.

The bullet struck true. Cheren's head snapped backwards, blood spurting out of the hole in his forehead. His body tumbled backwards, then rolled down the hill, bouncing off the rocks.

From behind a ledge on a nearby hill, **Lanette** adjusted the sniper rifle, leaning back onto a rock as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

What a foolish boy.

Lanette had left notes in a number of conspicuous places pleading with people to come to the valley beneath to form an alliance. A trap, obviously, but Cheren clearly hadn't been able to contain his curiosity. He'd seemed so smart, too. Sha...

"**Hello, all you trainers out there! Welcome to the super Poke Dude Show!"**

Lanette jolted upright. That sound... someone had to have have a megaphone. It had come from the same direction of Cheren. She snapped the rifle up, peering through the scope.

"**It's me, Primo! Come on, let me hear you!"**

Lanette scanned the ridge, rifle swinging back and forth. Nothing did he know she was there? He must...

There!

Lanette fired. It hit something black and cube-shaped, that was just poking over the edge of the hill. The thing sparked, but didn't move.

Had she just shot... a TV?

"**Today's lesson... diversions!"**

A foot pressed down on her neck, pushing her face into the dirt. Lanette gasped in pain.

**Elesa** smiled down at her, and activated the electrified gauntlet. "Hey there, sweetie. You're not very good at this."

xXx

_Group 16_

xXx

"Hah!"

**Steven** ducked under **Cynthia's** swing, pushing forward with his spear. Cynthia jumped to the side, parrying the blade with her own. Quick as a flash, Steven retracted his spear, bringing it up into a guard position.

The Hoenn leader stared her down for a moment, then took two steps backwards, planting the base of the ornate, eastern-style weapon in the ground. He slumped onto it, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

"We've... been at this... for hours." he panted, pulling at his sweat-drenched clothes

Cynthia let herself fall back against a tree, exhaustion gnawing at her muscles. "Don't... talk. Just... wait."

Steven was about to answer when a whooshing sound came from his right. **Old Man Abra** ran out from behind a tree, a look of pure terror on his face. A second later, a roaring burst of flames consumed him, frying him in an instant. The immediate area was set alight, close enough that Steven could actually feel the heat.

**Blaine** ran in to view, face set in a grin. A pair of strange-looking metal gloves, one of which was glowing red-hot, were strapped to his outstretched hands.

Before Steven could react, the gym leader's eyes settled on him. Blaine grinned, and pointed the glove at Steven's face.

No escape.

"Hyah!"

And then, Cynthia launched herself to his rescue.

Blaine turned, surprised, then raised his other glove. Two metal coils burst out of the palm, shooting forward to wrap around the handle of Cynthia's weapon. Blaine jerked his hand up, and the sword was flung into the bushes. The coils retracted slightly, then snapped out with a sickening crack, whipping Cynthia across the face.

Seizing the opportunity, Steven drove his spear towards Blaine's chest. The gym leader whirled back around, tendril-glove raised. The coils lashed out, wrapped around Steven's throat and lifting him into the air.

Steven moaned in pain, flailing ineffectively at the air with his spear. Blaine smiled an unpleasant smile, and raised the other glove.

Behind Blaine, Cynthia was just regaining her feet, one hand held to a bloody gash in her cheek.

"Ciffia!" Steven gurgled.

She looked up. With fading strength, Steven flung his weapon in her direction, praying it wouldn't spear her in the head.

Cynthia stumbled forward. Caught it.

And shoved it through the back of Blaine's head.

xXx

_Groups 14 & 15_

xXx

**Proton** stepped forward, twirling the knife between his fingers. "You're not carrying weapons. I honestly can't see this ending well for you."

**Lucian** smiled at him, stretching out a single hand towards the other man. "I have my mind. That's the only weapon I need."

A short distance away, **Colress** swung his sickle at **Professor Rowan** in a vicious, overhand strike, laughing in maniacal glee. Rowan raised the suitcase high, and the blade punched through the leather instead.

Proton motioned with his head to the sidelines, where **Jimmy** and **Teala** were watching, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. "You don't want to deal with them first?"

Lucian's smile grew wider. "No. I'm good, Rocketman."

Proton made an amused noise, turned as if to direct his attention towards something else, then dashed forward.

Lucian closed his eyes, and started humming. Proton was suddenly wrapped in an unearthly, purple light, ethereal tendrils wrapping around his arms and legs.

But... it wasn't enough.

Proton slowed, but didn't stop. The Rocket member took a step forward, then another, exertion clear on his face. A bead of sweat trickled down Lucian's face, and he placed his hands on his temples, pushing the fingers into his skin so hard that they went white.

By the trees, Rowan wrenched the suitcase to the side, sending it and the sickle tumbling through the folliage. The Professor launched himself forward, catching the Team Plasma man in a flying tackle.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Proton continued his advance. Lucian made a groaning noise, and the light grew even brighter, but the other man didn't stop. Reaching the E4 member, arm shaking with exertion, Proton raised the knife high, ready to strike.

Then he imploded.

The Rocket member crumpled in on himself, blood and bone compressing into a ball of matter. The ball hung in the air for a second, then splattered to the ground. Lucian's jaw dropped, limp arms falling to his sides. "...Did I do..."

There was a soft cracking noise, and Lucian's legs just fell away from his torso. His face morphed into an expression of shock and pain, then went slack, lifeless torso falling to the ground.

**Sabrina** stepped out from the shadows, dark eyes flicking to Teala. She made a casual flicking motion, and the girl's head flew from her shoulders.

Jimmy let out a laugh of pure terror, then dived behind a tree, out of Sabrina's line of vision. The psychic's eyes followed him for a second, then turned towards where Rowan and Colress were fighting.

Fighting desperately to stop Rowan choking the life out of him, Colress spotted the carnage out of the corner of his eye. Pupils dilating in terror, he shoved Rowan off him with a terror-fueled kick to the ribs, then scrabbled backwards across the ground like an animal, driving straight through a thicket of thorn bushes in a desperate attempt to escape Sabrina's field of vision.

Rowan got to his feet, confusion marring his features. Then something lifted him into the air and slammed him into a tree, snapping his ribs.

Sabrina stepped across the headless body of Teala, a single finger pinning Rowan in place. The Professor made a wheezing sound, clawing at the invisible hand wrapped around his throat, but to no avail.

Sabrina raised her other hand, placing a second finger next to the first, pointed at Rowan's back. Rowan groaned in pain.

Sabrina yanked the fingers apart.

xXx

**AJ** stumbled out of the trees, blood streaming from a wound in his shoulder.

He'd been lucky, Surge's bullet had only nicked him. A short distance to the right, and it would have taken off his head.

A rusted, chainlink fence swam into his blurred field of vision. Panting with exertion, the boy let himself fall against it, slumping to the ground.

He raised his head. The inside of the fence was covered by some black material that concealed whatever lay within from sight, but a short distance away, there was an entrance. And above the entrance, a faded wooden sign swung in the breeze, old black chains creaking out a soulful melody.

Between two grinning, painted clowns, AJ could make out three faded words.

_Giovanni's Wild Ride._

xXx

_As a note, for anyone following other stories who's been wondering where I've been these past few months, I've been wandering around the Twitch Plays Pokemon subreddit under the name ZetsutheFirst. I am going to get back to these eventually, though._


	2. Round 2

Round 2: Giovanni's Wild Ride

xXx

_Tier 3_

xXx

"Oh come on come on come on!"

**Jimmy** skidded through the fairground gates, raw panic and the frantic palpitations of his heart drowning out everything but the need to get away from the shotgun-wielding maniac chasing him. Jamming the locking bar through the rusted metal gates, the boy turned, collapsing onto his hands and knees.

And then froze.

The scene before him was something out of a nightmare. He was in a… fairground of some sort, or at least the remains of one.

Dilapidated rides, rotting attractions and half-destroyed shooting galleries stretched out around him, everything on the point of collapse.

Dark figures ran through the avenues, shouting and screaming.

And winding through it all, like some demented slinky, was a roller coaster from hell.

It curved in and out and up and down, twisting in on itself in ways that shouldn't have been possible. And on the cars, the rickety, terrifying cars, people were fighting each other.

By the far side, Ghetsis and Whitney stood upon the seats, mace cracking against staff as they fought desperately for survival. A little closer, Dawn was clambering over the car couplings, knife in mouth, as Pearl desperately tried to fend her off with a spear. Sabrina and Elesa duelled to the west, bright flashes of electricity dispelling the darkness. A laughing woman in a lab coat sprung like a dancer from car to car, raven hair streaming behind her.

To his left, a black van bulldozed its way through a sideshow, the bright muzzle flashes of gunfire coming from the cabin. To the right, a great plume of fire lit up the skies.

A bullet slammed into a wooden post next to Jimmy, showering him in splinters. The boy lurched back in fright, then took off in a run down one of the alleys.

"Heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Jimmy turned. And then he realised that he wasn't next to the shooting range anymore. He was next to _Giovanni's Wild Ride_.

There was a car hurtling towards him. And leaning out of the side of that car, two wiry arms clutching the legs of a bloodstained table at Jimmy's head height, was **Burglar Arnie**.

"Haaaaveyooouuseeeenmyyyypaaaartneeeeer!?" Arnie roared.

Jimmy opened his mouth.

The table struck.

xXx

_Tiers 3 & 4_

xXx

The van roared through the gate, crashing through turnstiles and plastic clowns. Brendan held onto the dashboard for dear life.

"Why the fuck are we in a fairground!?" roared **Camilla A. Slash**.

**Brendan** was about to yell something back when the glass of his window shattered. Something bloody and spherical hurtled through the empty space, landing in his lap.

"What the…"

It was a… head. Oh god, it was a freaking head!

Brendan lurched back in horror, flinging the thing outside. A's head shot around. "What…"

Something heavy landed on the roof.

Brendan's head shot up. Right above him, embedded in the metal, was a bladed hook.

His eyes widened even further. "A, there's someone on the…"

A sword punched straight through the roof, the blade centimetres from his face. Brendan reeled back. "The roof!"

"Hold on!" A yelled back.

She pumped the gas, spinning the wheel. The van skidded to the side, slamming into a row of sideshow exhibits.

The sword was ripped back out. Brendan yanked off his seatbelt, lurching to the side. The sword came down again, slicing through the air where his head had been.

"M4! Use M4!" A roared, driving the van headfirst through a shooting gallery.

The M4! Where the hell was the M4? Brendan's eyes flicked frantically around the cabin.

There! Under the seat!

He grabbed the weapon, raising the muzzle to the roof, and opened fire. The weapon jolted in his hands, the noise deafening.

The figure on the roof scrabbled backwards, and Brendan caught the flash of a red cloak flapping across his window. **Koga**.

The M4 went dry.

A muscled arm reached through his window, hand locking around Brendan's throat in an iron grip. Koga's face appeared in the gap, blood streaming down a wound on his head.

"Brendan!"

A let go of the wheel. The girl pushed over him, and… clipped in his seatbelt?

"Hold…"

The van hit a coaster pylon.

xXx

_Tiers 1, 2 & 4_

xXx

"Raaargh!"

**Ghetsis** jabbed forward, trying to impale **Whitney** through the stomach. The gym leader dodged the strike, then tried to brain Ghetsis with her mace. Plasma's leader ducked, and the swing went wide.

The roller coaster car they were fighting on hit a loop. Both combatants dropped, grabbing onto the handles and holding on for dear life.

They were midway through the loop when Whitney let out a scream of pain. The woman almost released her grip on the car, one hand flying up to clutch the back of her neck.

Ghetsis' eyes widened. Hanging by one arm from the section behind Whitney, a bloody bladed knuckleduster drawn back to strike, was a grinning **Youngster Joey**.

The kid had been under the seat the whole time!?

The boy stabbed Whitney again. She screamed, and released her grip, disappearing into the darkness below.

The car righted itself. Joey waved his bloody weapon at Ghetsis. "Yo! My hiding skills are…"

A van hit the coaster pylon.

The coaster track in front snapped in two. Their section collapsed beneath them, ramping down to connect to the ground. Their car lurched violently, miraculously not immediately killing them both. The metal truck span off the rails, slamming into a rotten wooden building with bone-crushing force.

Everything went dark for Ghetsis.

When he came to, what felt like seconds later, it was to find himself covered in blood. Youngster Joey was gone. And, outside the hole the car had made, _was that_ **N**? He was running somewhere.

Something wet dribbled down onto his head.

Ghetsis turned. Standing over him, like some god of old, was a huge, furry beast. The thing's nostrils were flaring, red eyes fixed on Ghetsis' face.

The werewolf licked its huge, slavering lips.

"**Aooooooooooo!**"

xXx

_Tiers 2 & 4_

xXx

"AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!"

The scream came from the other side of the park. **Lt. Surge** payed it no mind. He had an IT technician to hunt.

He strode around the side of a wall, shotgun cocked and ready in his hands. The scrawny man had come this way, he was sure of it. He…

Speak of the devil.

Crouching in the middle of a clearing, seemly oblivious to his surroundings, was **Bill**. His eyes were closed, and he had his arms crossed in front of his face, fingers curving around to almost touch his ears. He looked as if he was doing some new-age yoga crap or something.

Huh. Let's see how clever he'd be without a head.

Surge levelled the shotgun, and fired.

And the bullet… bounced off.

Bill opened his eyes. He smiled at Surge through the slightly-scratched pane of bulletproof Lexan glass. And it was only then that the Gym leader realised that, attached to each of Bill's fingers, was a line of fishing wire.

Bill flicked back his right pinky.

And the ground under Surge's feet exploded.

_Tier 1_

**Elesa** ran backwards, firing off blasts of electricity from her electrified gauntlets. **Sabrina** followed her, ducking behind dilapidated buildings to avoid being struck.

"Hah!" the Nimbasa gym leader yelled. "Limited range! I knew it!"

Elesa leapt up onto an empty section of _Giovanni's Wild Ride_, taking off up the incline. "Can't get me up here, huh?"

Sabrina stopped at the base. She turned, levelling fingers at the buildings behind her. A pillar of rubble, dirt and rotting wood flew out of each, forming into two glowing purple shields in front of her. The psychic rotated around, then set off after Elesa.

Elesa narrowed her eyes, then fired off a blast, making sure to keep her distance. The electricity slammed into the shields, taking off a little at the edges, but otherwise doing very little.

Sabrina started moving faster. Elesa started moving faster too, gritting her teeth. Quickly, the gym leader adjusted the levers on her gauntlets. One went dark, while the other became considerably brighter.

A car appeared behind Sabrina, hurtling towards her at breathtaking pace. The psychic span, waving a hand at it. The car leapt off the rails, hovering in the air. Sabrina turned back, and flung it at Elesa.

Elesa levelled her adjusted glove at it, and fired. There was a bright flash of light, and the car disintegrated in mid-air.

Sabrina stretched out a hand towards the track beneath them. Elesa was faster. Levelling her glove at Sabrina, she fired.

The shields jerked up. But this time, it wasn't quite enough. A huge chunk of the first shield exploded into smoke and dust.

Elesa grinned, and extended out her hand. A stream of crackling yellow energy curved across the distance, slamming into the barrier. It held for a second, then burst.

The electricity grew brighter. The second shield came up, then burst into a million fragments.

Elesa roared in triumph.

And then froze.

Sabrina was still there. And she was _holding the electricity_.

Elesa turned to run. But Sabrina was quicker. The supports under the track snapped, collapsing the intervening section and sending Elesa hurtling forward.

Sabrina caught her in mid-air. Snakes of electricity wrapped around Elesa, almost touching skin.

"You… why…"

Sabrina said nothing. She just smiled. And against her will, Elesa found herself raising her own gauntlets to her head.

xXx

_Tiers 1, 2 & 4_

xXx

"I'd leave. Really, I'd leave."

**Steven** shattered the mirror with the handle of his spear. **Bill's** reflection shattered into a million tiny shards, each one just as mocking as the original.

"This is not going to go well for you."

**Cynthia** smashed another Bill. Another mirror.

Because of course, where else would Bill set himself up but a hall of mirrors?

"One of these isn't a mirror." said hundreds of Bills. "He probably has a chainsaw or something. Whatever it is, I'd imagine it's probably very nasty."

Steven smashed another four mirrors. Still nothing.

"I don't…"

Something big and heavy crashed through the ceiling. Cynthia and Steven dived for cover, sharp mirror fragments peppering their backs and arms.

The maelstrom ended. Cautiously, they rose to their feet.

It was a section of track. A section of track, followed by a blacked body.

And it had cleared a path right to the control room.

There was a figure, seated on a chair, surrounded by broken monitors. A figure with green hair.

He wasn't moving.

Steven charged through the rubble, followed by Cynthia. Leaping through the hole that the destruction had caused, Steven drove his spear forward.

And it connected. Unfortunately, not with flesh.

Steven spun the chair around. There was a dummy sitting there, a spear sticking out of its head. A _smiling_ dummy.

The dummy was filled with explosives.

"Yep." the dummy said. "Very nasty."

As was the room.

Steven stepped back.

As was the entire house of mirrors.

Cynthia ran.

_Tier 5_

From inside his secure control box, **Giovanni** flicked a lever, sending another cart hurtling along the track.

Easy. He was beginning to understand why Bill acted the way that he did. Sitting back and watching other people fight was much more pleasant than...

A twinge of pain from his hand took him out of his thoughts. Giovanni grimaced. Catching that sword... had been a mistake.

He looked out the window again. The girl he'd helped... Hilda, was dueling against a girl with a scythe. He wondered if she'd live. Probably not.

A scratching noise from behind drew his attention. Giovanni turned.

There was a nozzle poking through the wall.

"Hey Giovanni, that the control room?" **Misty** yelled. "I think it needs more FIRE!"

The flamethrower activated.

xXx

_Tiers 5 & 6_

xXx

**AJ** lashed out with the truncheon. **Colress** ducked behind the plastic clown, and the weapon hit that instead, sending painful tremors up the boy's arm.

**Alice** came in at Colress from behind, a knife in hand. The man span around, delivering a stinging backslap. As she fell backwards, Colress yanked the weapon out of her hand. She landed in the rack of shooting range items, equipment tumbling down around her.

AJ swung again. This time, Colress absorbed the blow, the truncheon slamming into his right shoulder. With a grunt of pain, the man lashed out with a kick to AJ's ribs. AJ fell backwards, gasping for air.

Colress came in fast, blade going for AJ's neck. The boy's eyes widened, and he grabbed the nearest thing to hand, raising it in front of his face. The knife sank into the rotten teddy bear, the point _just_ piercing the opposite side.

Colress made a sound of annoyance, and yanked the knife out, ripping the toy out of AJ's grasp. He drew back to strike again.

And then Alice raised the shooting range rifle to Colress' head, and pulled the trigger.

xXx

_Tiers 6 & 7_

xXx

Precariously perched on the back of a moving rollercar, **Four** swung her scythe in a wide arc. **Hilda** ducked under the swing, cursing the short range of her trench knives.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind her. Hilda turned to see *_Fennel_ perched on the seat behind her, face set in a happy grin.

"Hello!"

Shaking off the surprise, Hilda stabbed a bladed fist towards her leg. Fennel leapt into the air, landing on her arm. "Heeeeeey. No."

Four leaned over the seat, swinging at Fennel. The doctor leaned backwards at an impossibly painful angle, then snapped back up, smile never leaving her face.

Hilda tried to shake her off. Fennel jumped off her arm, bouncing off Four's shoulders, and came to land on the very edge of the track.

The doctor tapped something on her wrist. "Entralink!"

Everything went white. And when the world returned, their car wasn't on the track anymore. It was hurtling vertically downwards through the air, straight towards the ground. More precisely, straight towards **Bebe**.

Bebe looked up. Hilda and Four looked down.

There wasn't even time to cry out.

xXx

_Tier 7_

xXx

"Hah!"

**Pearl** shoved the spear forward.

**Dawn** edged to the side, letting the point fly past. Then, the girl reached out, and ripped it out of Pearl's hands.

Calmly, the girl raised the spear, then brought the handle down on her knee, snapping it like a twig.

Pearl let out a whine of fear.

**Napoleon** rose up from behind Pearl, leveling an archaic flintlock at Dawn. Just as he fired, the car hit a curve, swinging to the right. The shot went wide, flying off into the night.

Pearl leapt over into Napoleon's car, grabbing him by the coat. "Leo! I want to get off Mr Giovanni's Wild Ride!"

Napoleon shoved him off, frantically searching that could be used to fend off Dawn. Ahead of them, the girl was slowly climbing over the intervening cars, predatory gaze fixed on Pearl.

A spark of light caught Napoleon's attention. He looked up.

The control tower was on fire. And the fire was spreading.

Pearl gasped. "Leo! The... missing!"

Napoleon followed his gaze. Ahead of them, just past the stopping station, a perfectly circular section of track and support beam was missing. It was like someone had surgically removed it.

The stopping station. That was their only hope.

But they were going so fast!

...

No choice.

"Hold on."

Napoleon wrapped a hand around Pearl's collar, eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching stop. With his other, he reached out... and coat-hangered a pole.

The impact nearly split him in two. Pain spiked up his arm, and he felt his bones almost wrench out of their sockets.

But it worked. He and Pearl were flung bodily onto the platform, slamming into the metal wall.

And the last thing Napoleon saw before blacking out was Dawn's shocked face, vanishing into the gloom.

xXx

_Tier 8_

xXx

Giovanni's Wild Ride was on the point of collapse. Huge sections of it were on fire. A van had hit one of the main support pylons. Fennel's teleportation spree had yanked several parts of it out of existence. And the control center had burned to the ground.

Above them, a cart flew off the rails, smacking into a support section.

**Red** rolled to the side, just clearing the wreckage. **Green**, focused as he was on trying to stab Red, wasn't so lucky. A huge piece of metal speared him through the back, sticking him to the ground like a fly.

Red started to get to his feet, then scrabbled backwards as **Primo's** foot almost took off his head.

The man grinned at him. "All right! Time for Lesson..."

_BZZZZT_

There was a bright flash of light, and Primo crumpled to the ground, body still twitching. **Wattson** grinned down at him.

"Reality shows aren't really my thing! Why don't you try some comedy? Wahahahahah!"

xXx

_Tiers 1 & 4_

xXx

**Cynthia** ran for the exit, leaping over the shattered mirrors. **Steven** followed, leaping over the piles of rubble.

"Good god!" he yelled. "How much explosive is..."

His words were cut off, as a huge piece of rollercoaster track slammed into him from behind.

Steven fell to the ground, legs snapping like twigs. "Aaargh!"

A whooshing sound from above caught Cynthia's attention. She looked up.

**Sabrina** was floating above the wrecked house of mirrors, arms encircled with purple energy. A dozen coaster tracks hung suspended around her, poised to fly.

"Cynthia... ngh, get out!" Steven fumbled at his belt, the pain making his movements jerky and erratic. "It's too late for me! Get out!"

Cynthia looked up at Sabrina, then once more at Steven. She nodded her thanks, then took off in the other direction.

Sabrina raised her hand to throw, only to be forced to dodge to the side as a bullet flew by her.

Steven raised his pistol above him. "Oh no you don't! Run!"

He emptied the clip. This time, Sabrina caught the bullets, a look of mild irritation on her formerly blank face.

She glared down at Steven, raising both hands.

And then the house exploded.

xXx

_Tiers 3 & 4_

xXx

**Brendan** and **A** raced out of the ruined fairground. At the other exits, other figures were doing the same, fleeing out into the darkness.

"Do you... think he's... dead?" A puffed.

There was a flash of light behind them. Brendan and A turned, just in time to see the entire Wild Ride explode in an enormous orange fireball, taking the entire carnival with it.

"Yeah, pro..."

Brendan stopped. Because the explosion had illuminated something. Up the path that lay ahead, partially hidden under a camouflage sheet, was a large, metal shape. Brendan could just make out two words, painted in blue letters on the side.

'_M4 Sherman.'_


	3. Round 3

Round 3: City

xXx

_Set 2_

xXx

"Leo... what're we going to do?"

**Napoleon** kept his eyes turned firmly to the front. Behind him, he could hear **Pearl** preparing to make the jump, feet shuffling nervously on the gravel that lined the rooftop.

They were in an abandoned city of some sort, one of the creepiest ghost towns he'd ever come across. It was all in perfect order, no decay; no damage, nothing, just empty, silent avenues of glass and concrete.

"C'mon, Leo, we need to work this out."

No, they didn't. There was no point debating it now, not while there were still other people out there who wanted to kill them.

"Leooooo..."

Napoleon looked back. Pearl still hadn't jumped. He was standing on the opposite building, staring down the gap with a forlorn look on his face. He had a sniper rifle in his hands.

Napoleon held out a hand. "Toss me the gun."

"Okay." Pearl nodded, and did so. Napoleon caught it, examining the scope.

Pearl raised his hands, laughing nervously. "H-hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing."

"Sorry." Napoleon swung the barrel away.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this." Pearl huffed. "I can doooo this."

A faint rumbling sound to the right edged into Napoleon's hearing range. He crouched down, looking over the lip of the building.

There was a _tank_ rolling down the street.

Napoleon made a 'get down' motion at Pearl. The other boy crouched immediately, face white.

The tank stopped.

And then, to Napoleon's horror, the turret started to move.

Napoleon dropped as low as he could go. There were a couple of moments of utter stillness, and then something exploded.

Napoleon risked a look. A building, five up from Pearl's, four from his, had just been fired upon by the tank. And the whole thing was collapsing.

Boom. The tank fired again. And this time, it was the building only three structures away.

Oh shit.

Napoleon leapt to his feet, all pretenses of stealth gone. There was another building behind his, a lower one, partially shielded. If he could get there...

Boom. This time, two away.

Napoleon didn't waste another second. Sprinting off, he took a flying leap off the building, landing awkwardly and painfully on the next one.

But he was safe.

Boom. There went the building next to the one he'd been...

_Pearl!_

Napoleon span. Pearl hadn't moved. He was still standing on the edge, face alive with fear.

Pearl's building was standalone! He needed to go over Napoleons to get to safety!

"Jump now!" Napoleon yelled, panic rising in his voice. "Pearl, jump now!"

Pearl gave a shaky not. Taking a step back, the boy launched across the gap, foot touching down on the roof.

Zero.

The shell slammed into the building's upper half, ripping through the structure like paper. Napoleon had one, brief glimpse of Pearl's ashen-face, wide eyes locked onto his.

And then Pearl was gone.

Napoleon sank down, the energy just leeching out of his body.

Pearl was... he...

And then the energy returned. Because Napoleon saw red.

His eyes went wide. His lip curled into a snarl.

The building in front was gone. He had a clear shot at the tank.

Napoleon crouched, raised the sniper rifle, and took aim.

xXx

_Set 1_

xXx

"Heeeeeey! Come on, I just want to aaaaask you something!"

Hands stretched out in front of him, **Red** stumbled deeper into the darkened crypt. Dark shapes flashed by on either side, long-abandoned hollows cut into the rocks and filled with bones. Behind him, the clattering footfalls of his pursuer gained momentum.

How the hell was he going to get out of this? He had no idea where he was, and no idea how to get out.

"Have you seen my partner?!"

**Burgular Arnie** whirled around the corner Red had just come from, bloodstained table held high over his head. Red quickened his pace in response, groaning with exertion.

He was trapped in a dark, cobwebbed maze of rock and bones, being hunted down by a psycho with a table. He wasn't going to be able to keep outrunning him for long. He didn't know where the exit was. He didn't have any weapons. He...

Wait.

Red hit the next corner, swinging around at full speed. And then, he stopped. Grimacing in disgust, Red climbed into the nearest tomb-hollow, sliding down into the shadows. And then he waited.

Arnie rounded the corner. Red felt around, and grabbed the largest femur he could find.

And the man moved to run past, Red raised himself up, and slammed the bone into Arnie's stomach.

Arnie gasped in shock and pain, dropping to the ground instantly.

Red scrabbled out of the hollow. "You... you want to know where your partner is?"

Arnie groaned.

Red raised the femur high into the air, the thick end positioned right above Arnie's head. "Right here!"

"That's... doesn't make se..." Arnie spluttered.

The bone came down.

xXx

_Set 3 & 4_

xXx

**Alice**, **AJ** and **N** stood on the edge of the shiny, circular skyscraper plateau, looking out at the empty city below. A cold wind came in from the south, making their hair dance in the breeze.

"We should be safe here." Alice announced. "No one's going to come looking up here."

"Hm." N squinted, looking at something out in the streets below. "Is... is that a tan..."

A dinging sound came from behind them. The three turned as one.

The elevator doors slid open. And **Misty** and **Youngster Joey** stepped out into the sunlight.

Misty grinned at them. "Hello! I'm going to light you on fire!"

Joey stepped forward, flipping a knife in one hand. "I hope you're ready, because my...

His eyes landed on AJ.

Joey stopped midsentence, knife falling from boneless fingers. The boy went pale as a sheet. "...AJ? You... what are you"

Misty turned to look at him, smile widening. "Joey? You wouldn't be having second thoughts, would you?"

AJ stepped towards him. "Joey, come on, it's me!"

"Heh, I..." Joey rubbed the back of his head, eyes flicking between the two. "I, uh..."

Misty turned towards AJ, raising the nozzle. "Don't interfere. Or I will _cook_ you."

AJ stepped back, hands raised. "Joey!"

"Mmm." Misty's eyes widened. "Yummy!"

Joey's eyes hardened.

He pulled a second knife out of his belt. Then, he stepped forward, and lined it up to Misty's neck.

"Sorry Misty."

Misty whirled.

Joey struck.

But someone else got there first

There was a loud humming sound, and a flash of light. And Misty's head rolled off her shoulders.

**Fennel** stepped backwards, slinging the fire axe she'd used to decapitate Misty over her shoulder. "Entralink! Yay!"

Then she vanished again.

N, Alice, AJ and Joey all looked at each other. N was the first to speak. "What just..."

The humming came again. N was cut off midsentence, as Fennel materialized behind him.

The woman grabbed him by the back of the neck. "Hello!"

N's eyes widened. He tried to escape, but Fennel was faster. The woman tightened her grip, then flung him over the side of the skyscraper. "Bye!"

Alice tried to grab his shirt. AJ tried to whack Fennel with a truncheon. Neither were fast enough. Fennel disappeared, and Alice's hands grasped empty air.

The elevator dinged again. **Wattson** was seated on a chair inside, a bucket of popcorn in his hands. He waved at the three kids. "I'm just here to watch! WAHAHAHAHAH!"

Fennel reappeared next to Joey, swinging her axe. The boy dropped to the ground, avoiding the strike by a hair, then rolled towards Alice and AJ.

"Back to back! Now!" he yelled, clicking a pair of trench knives into place.

Alice and AJ did what he said, pressing up against each other. There was a moment of silence, broken only by the crunching of Wattson's popcorn.

Then, Fennel appeared above them. "Wheeeeeee!"

The axe came down. Alice and AJ leapt to the side. Fennel ignored them, going after Joey. The boy rolled away again, barely avoiding the swings. "Hah! You think you can take me?"

"Yes!" Fennel disappeared, reappearing behind him.

She swung.

Joey ducked.

She reappeared above him.

He leapt out of the way.

She materialized in front.

He caught the handle.

He tried to stab her.

She vanished.

Alice and AJ pressed themselves up against the wall, watching the bizarre spectacle take place. Fennel was fast. But so was Joey. And they were completely, totally evenly matched. "Hrrr." Fennel appeared on the fence railing. "This is annoying."

Her eyes turned to AJ. "...Hey."

She disappeared. Joey's eyes widened. He took off at full speed towards AJ. "AJ, get..."

Fennel appeared. The axe rose, ready to fall on AJ's head.

And then Joey stabbed her in the neck.

Fennel at him. "Ow. Owwwwww. I'm dead now."

Then, she reached out, and touched Joey's chin. "Entralink. Stratosphere."

"No!" AJ yelled.

They disappeared.

xXx

_Set 1 & 3_

xXx

The thick, iron door warped in on itself, the sound of rending metal echoing down the empty city streets. Sabrina flicked her wrist, and the door was flung from its hinges, violently pinwheeling through the glass front of a nearby building.

Sabrina stepped through the gap, moving at a slow, leisurely pace. The building she was in was more akin to a bunker than anything else; thick, concrete walls, minimal lighting, and walls that had been stripped bare of anything that could be used as a weapon.

There was a television screen up on the wall. It flickered to life. Bill stared down at her. "Hey, Sabrina."

Sabrina didn't respond. She just watched.

"No? Nothing?" Bill shrugged. "Well, if it helps, I'm over here."

From the other end of the corridor, the man himself stepped out. He gave her a little wave.

Sabrina turned, raising her hand.

"_FUCK THIS WORLD! FUCK THIS U-NI-VERSE!"_

From out of nowhere, the loud screamer music hit her like a physical force, snapping her concentration. Bill's hand came up, pistol pointed at her head. He fired.

Sabrina's hand shot up, and the bullet stopped mid-air, inches from her face. "No."

She flung the bullet back at him. Bill leapt behind cover, and the shot hit the wall instead.

Sabrina strode down the corridor, following him. As she turned the corner, she felt her foot sink into the ground. The walls around her exploded in a deadly blast of explosive and shrapnel, a mealstrom of concrete shards flying towards her. They slammed into a purple barrier of psychic energy, then slid harmlessly to the ground.

Bill's clattering footsteps grew fainter. Sabrina began to move faster, gaining momentum. She followed him through the corridors; left, right, left, right, le...

Bill was waiting for her. And in the middle of the corridor, facing her direction, was an enormous, black lighting rig.

He flicked the switch.

Sabrina's vision filled with light. She let out a cry of pain, hands flying to her eyes. Through the disorientation, she heard a metallic whirring sound come from beside her. Sabrina dropped to the ground, curling into a ball and wrapping her entire body in a psychic shield. She felt dozens, hundreds of objects slam into the edge with punishing force, the loud, whirring sound overpowering her senses.

Finally, the barrage stopped. Sabrina opened her eyes, blinking away the tears. Bill was gone. The walls on either side of her had slid revealing a mounted machine gun in each. Her shield was a hedgehog of metal; bullets, shrapnel, and even knifes.

A strange, stinging sensation caught her attention. Sabrina reached up and felt her cheek.

'd cut her.

He'd _cut_ her!

Sabrina leapt to her feet, lashing the guns to pieces with whips of psychic energy. The bullets that had surrounded her coalesced into a single mass, that then became dozens of whirling, razor-sharp coils. She lashed out, ripping the lighting rigging into pieces.

Sabrina took off in a run, charging up a nearby staircase. The coils whipped around her like angry snakes, tearing huge rents in the walls.

She turned the corner of a long corridor, to see Bill just leaving through the opposite end. She drove her fist towards him, and he tripped, ankle snapping with a sickening crack.

Bill let out a grunt of pain, and flung himself to the side, reaching for something. His hand wrapped around a length of fishing wire, and he pulled.

The floor beneath Sabrina dropped away, revealing a long, gaping void. Her eyes widened, and her hands came down beneath her, the coils of metal arresting her fall.

A roaring from behind her caught her off guard. Sabrina span herself around, just in time to see a huge, slavering monster launch itself through the air towards her.

The coils came up, ready to kill, and then faltered. Less than a second before collision, she caught the creature in mid-air instead.

"Aoooo?"

The creature growled angrily at her. There was no recognition or intelligence in its eyes, only fury.

Sabrina span the creature around. There was a needle imbedded in the back of its neck, filled with the remnants of some foul, yellow liquid. Sabrina yanked the needle out. With unusual gentleness, she raised the creature into the air and placed it against the wall, encircling it with four coils of metal.

"I'll return."

She turned away. She'd broken Bill's ankle. He wouldn't be far.

Sabrina went up yet another set of steps. Through the gaps in the door at the top, bright rays of sunlight were streaming in.

She flung the doors open, stepping out onto the rooftop. The chilly evening air washed across her face. Bill stood in the center, leaning heavily on one leg. He had a dozen lines of fishing wire in either hand.

Bill smiled. "Well, this appears..."

He pulled the wires.

A metal blade lashed out of the wall behind her, swinging towards her head. Two spotlights on either edge of the roof lit up, their beams aimed squarely at her face. Hidden speakers burst into life, releasing a chaotic stream of babbling, screams and cries. Fires exploded into being behind Bill, filling the air with smoke and light.

Sabrina caught the blades on her shield, stopping them in mid air. Their handles beeped, and both exploded in tiny bursts of shrapnel. She caught those too.

She turned to see Bill fling something a small, black object. The spotlights strobed, momentarily blinding her, but she caught it.

It exploded in a cloud of smoke and dust. Sabrina coughed, the incredible amount of sensory input shredding her focus.

And the dark, knife-wielding form of Bill himself came hurtling out of the smoke.

Sabrina's head snapped up.

Bill's hand snapped forward.

Sabrina's hand came up.

Bill's knife entered her neck.

And then, everything stopped.

Bill froze in place, suspended in mid-air. Slowly, disbelieving, Sabrina raised a hand to her neck.

The tip of Bill's knife had pierced her throat. A thin trickle of blood was dripping down her neck. Another second, just one tiny bit further, and she would have been dead.

Sabrina's lips curled back with rage. She flung her arms wide, sending her metal coils flying across the rooftop. The spotlights shattered in an explosion of glass and sparks, the hidden speakers were ripped from their hiding places and torn to pieces, the weapons flung into the night.

Sabrina raised Bill into the air in front of her. He stared back at her.

"Beg me." she growled.

Bill smiled at her. "No."

"**Beg me."**

"No." Bill sighed. "It's not going to happen, Sabrina. Sorry."

"I... am going... to *disassemble you!" she spat.

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, that sounds unpleasant."

"Nnnngh!" Sabrina raised herself up, hand raised to strike.

All of a sudden, she felt something very cold in the area of her chest. Sabrina looked down. The head of a spear was poking out of her stomach.

A second later came the pain.

The spear withdrew. Sabrina screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground. Bill dropped too, freed from her grasp. She rolled around on the ground, clutching at the torn flesh. And a shadow stepped over her.

**Cynthia.**

The Sinnoh champion was on her last legs. The entire right-half of her body was coated with burn marks, her right shoulder burnt down to the bone. Her face was chalk-white, and a long piece of jagged metal was embedded in her shoulder.

But her eyes were clear.

Cynthia raised Steven Stone's spear high over her head, and spat.

And drove the point down through Sabrina's forehead.

The Sinnoh champion looked to Bill, who was shakily regaining his feet. "The debt... is paid."

Cynthia placed the spear down on the ground, lay down next to Sabrina, and died without another word.

xXx

_Set 2_

xXx

"YEEEE-HAWWWWW!"

**A** pumped the lever. **Brendan** grabbed the handlebar. The tank juddered around them, the shot she'd fired making the entire thing vibrate.

A second later, the building next to them exploded.

"Hahaha! This is _amazing_" A yelled, exhilaration coursing through her body. "We're in a goddamn TANK, Brendan!"

Brendan smiled back, a smile that seemed oddly strained. "Yeah... A, I'm not so sure you should be...

"Oh c'mon, stop being a bitch!" A punched him on the shoulder, hard. "It's not like we're hurting anyone! The city's empty!"

A twisted the control knob, rotating the turret towards the next building. She hit the lever again. He action was answered from a boom from outside.

The M4 Sherman had come with one notable addition, a small rectangular opening just larger than an average computer monitor had been carved into the front section. A stuck her head through the slat, admiring her handiwork.

Damn. That was one fucked up building.

A returned to the controls, turning the turret towards the next building. Brendan hovered over her like an annoying gnat. "You don't know that! Any one of these buildings could have people in it!"

A shrugged. "Fine. Then there are people inside."

She kept her eyes turned to the front. "That's how this _works_, Brendan. We kill them, or they kill us. If you're too weak to get that, that's your problem."

She pulled the lever again; a little spitefully this time. Another building went up in smoke.

"Even if that's right, there's no need to go around firing on random buildings!"

A grit her teeth, twisting the controls.

This was supposed to be fun! Why couldn't Brendan just sit back and enjoy it? Instead, he continued to whine in her ear, his voice becoming more and more unbearable with each passing second. "There's no point to this! All you're doing is letting everyone know that we're here!"

A jerked the lever. The building right in front of them exploded.

"You are being ridiculous!" Brendan leaned in over her. He sounded angry, and it was _really_ pissing her off. "You're putting our lives at risk!"

A's fingers tightening around the wheel.

"And why, just so you can fulfill some stupid fantasy..."

Brendan's hand landed on her shoulder.

_Enough._

A rounded on him, shoving him away. "Shut the fuck up!"

Brendan took a step back, her vehemence taking him by surprise. A advanced on him. "You would be DEAD without me, Brendan! I have saved your life ten fucking times over! How about a little gratitude for once, huh?!"

She shoved him hard in the chest. "I'm the one that's kept us alive! And I am doing this MY way! You got that?"

Brendan caught himself on a wall, meeting her anger with his own. "No, I haven't 'got that', because you're..."

His words trailed off. His gaze dropped to her chest, and the blood drained from his face.

A looked down. She was standing next to the slat. And right above her heart was a tiny red dot.

A opened her mouth.

Brendan launched himself into her, crash-tackling her to the ground. As she fell, she heard a metallic ping. A hit the deck hard, shoulder hitting metal with a painful thud.

She groaned. "Owwwwww..."

Slowly, hands trembling involuntarily from the shock, she rolled to her feet. She turned to Brendan, all traces of anger gone. "I... uh..."

She stopped.

Brendan was pressed up against the wall of the tank. His face was pale. And he was clutching his side.

"Brendan?" A stepped towards him, a cold fear curling up her spine. "Brendan, are you okay?"

Brendan looked up at her, with wide, scared eyes.

"A..." he swallowed. "A, I... I can't... feel my legs."

No.

Brendan's eyes went down to his hands. Thick red blood was oozing between the fingers, staining the leg of his pants.

"I think I'm going to die."

"No." A went down to her knees next to him, trying to get a look at the wound. "No... no you're not."

The blood was coming faster now, pouring out of the hole in his side like a tap.

"There's... black, at the corners of my vision." Brendan's eyes started to glaze. He squeezed them shut, fighting it off. "It hit something important, I'm loosing too much blood."

"Comeoncomeon, stay with me!" A leapt to her feet, rushing over to the medical cabinet. "There are bandages in here, we can fix you!"

Brendan's head slumped forward

"We always knew only one of us could live." he mumbled, dull pupils fixed on something only he could see.

A flung the cabinet open.

"That's how it works."

"Shut up."

"And it was never going to be me."

"SHUT UP."

A tore through the cabinet, medical supplies flying everywhere. She grabbed a roll of bandages, rushing back to Brendan's side. She pried his hands away, maintaining pressure on the wound, and shoved a pad of bandage into the hole.

Brendan weakly shook his head. "I'm done... please, don't waste this."

A pressed harder on the wound. "Don't you dare leave me alone here, Brendan! Don't you _dare_!"

"A." Something in his voice made her stop. With a limp, bloodstained hand, Brendan reached up, and stroked her cheek. Brown eyes met blue, and sparkled with life one final time. _"Win this."_

"No." A grabbed his chin, hot tears running down her face. "No, no, Brendan please, please don't go please don't go... please..."

A wrapped his head in her arms, bringing his face to hers. "I think I love you."

"I..."

She kissed him, fiercely, shoving her mouth onto his. He kissed her back. And for a moment, there was nothing else.

But then, the moment passed.

The kiss ended.

And Brendan was gone.


	4. Round 4

Round 4: Misc.

xXx

Atop a great tower, surrounded by enough explosives to level a building, Bill and Alice stared each other down.

Bill looked around. An intricate, bright-red web of lasers surrounded them. Every minute, the web grew smaller. And if either one of them crossed one, the entire complex would blow.

Alice felt the handle of her knife. Would he strike? Would he try and shoot her? She's given up attempting to predict the actions of her father, he...

Bill sighed. "Alice, I'm not going to try and kill you. Put away the knife."

She shook her head. "No. I don't think you've earned enough trust for that just yet."

Bill shrugged. "Suit yourself."

The red-suited man sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. "Alright then, let's go over who's left in the competition."

Bill withdrew a piece of chalk from his pocket, and began scrawling on the ground. "Teams Plasma, Galactic and Rocket have been completely wiped off the map. Fennel took out Joey and Misty before she died, A and Brendan managed to take out Koga at the fairground, and I finished off Sabrina myself, with help. So most of the major threats have been eliminated."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Alice said.

"That leaves you, Red, A, Aoooo, AJ, Napoleon and Wattson." Bill continued. "Red and AJ are going to be the easiest to handle. They don't have any particularly great combat skill, or any Sabrina-esque powers. So you're on a relatively equal footage with them, with the advantage of having already killed."

Alice shook her head. "Dad, I don't..."

"Napoleon and A are going to be a little trickier. A's lost Brendan, Napoleon's lost Pearl, and they're both on a warpath. Napoleon also seems to be freakily proficient with a sniper rifle he's managed to pick up, while A has a tank. Stay out of their way until the end, if you can."

"Wait." Alice blinked. "Wait, you're talking like..."

"It's Aoooo and Wattson that you'll have to really look out for. Wattson is almost untouchable with that electrical equipment of his, and Aoooo... Aoooo will rip you apart if she gets close. Avoid both of them at all costs; let someone else handle it."

Bill got to his feet. "Only one of us can get out of here, Alice. And believe it or not, murdering my offspring isn't really my wheelhouse."

Alice took a step forward. "You... you can't..."

"The whole 'heaven' thing never really made sense to me, so... we probably won't be seeing each other again. So after you win this, find someone who cares about you." Bill smiled at her with tear-filled eyes. "I... would have liked to have seen the person you're going going to grow into, Alice. Bet you're going to be _fantastic_.

Bill withdrew his pistol from the holster and placed the barrel in his mouth. "Goodbye."

"Wait!"

_Bang_.

A gunshot echoed across the early evening landscape. The lasers deactivated. And one of the two figures collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.

Bill withdrew the gun from his mouth. "...Alice?"

Alice didn't move. Bill rushed to her side, turning her over. "Alice!"

Alice stared up at him with pain-filled eyes. Her right cheek was missing, blown apart by a bullet.

"G...uuuunnn..." she gurgled, ruined mouth distorting the sound.

"I... this... no." Bill whispered, frozen tendrils of horror latching onto his soul. "Not... this, this can't..."

"...Ruuuuun." Alice whispered.

She... she couldn't...

Something whizzed past, slamming into the ground next to him. Bill looked up. There was someone out in the mountains, someone with a sniper rifle.

Someone wearing a red beret.

Bill grabbed his daughter by the arms, dragging her across the floor behind cover. He crouched down, cradling her head in his arms. "Alice. Alice, please..."

Alice's sightless eyes stared back at him.

"Please." he begged, hot, salty tears running down his cheeks. "Don't be dead. Don't be dead, Alice."

But Alice didn't respond.

The life... drained out of him. He didn't care about the sniper. He didn't care about the bombs. Alone in the world, Bill just curled up in a ball around his daughter, and sobbed like a child.

xXx

A sharp wind came in from the north, cutting through **Red's** thin cloak like a knife. The boy paid it no mind. He raised a hand to the Helix amulet around his neck, stroking the cool metal.

Red had discovered something, down in those tombs. Or, to be more precise, he'd rediscovered something.

Red had refound his religion. And with it, an apathy towards the material world.

He slowly made his way down the darkened forest path, feet making little noise on the leaf litter beneath. He wondered if he was going to make it out of this competition alive. Probably not.

A figure to his right caught his attention. Red slipped behind one of the trees.

There was a girl, crouching in the center of a clearing. She was dressed in an orange shirt, with black spandex pants. And she was wearing some sort of strange, floppy white-and-green beanie-hat on her head. There was a knife strapped to her side.

She was crouched in front of a mound. No... not a mound. A grave. One that she'd dug with her hands too, if the dirt stains were any indication.

There was a gravestone, too. Just a chunk of wood, embedded in the ground.

Red lifted his pistol out of its holster. He stepped out from behind the tree, leveling it at **A's** head.

She looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise.

And for a second, they just stood there,

He made an 'up' motion. She got to her feet, hands raised over her head.

Red motioned towards the grave. "You knew him well?"

She nodded, swallowing. Red felt a twinge of pity.

"Have you given the rites?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Was he a follower of Helix?"

"M...aybe." Her voice was cracked. She'd been crying. "I don't know."

"I could give them."

She looked at him, surprise clear in her eyes.

"But I don't want to die. I'll need your word."

She swallowed. "I swear, on my heart, life and soul..."

"No." Red pointed down at the grave. "Swear on him."

A put a hand to her heart. "I swear, on the heart, life and soul of Brendan T. Birch, that I will not try anything."

"...Okay." Red put his pistol back in his holster, and bent down next to the grave.

"Oh Helix, who..."

He was almost expecting it when his pistol was yanked from his side, and he flipped around and shoved into the dirt. A stared down at him, pistol stretched towards his head.

"You swore." he said.

"I know." the corners of her lip quirked up into a sad, painful smile. "But you know what? I think it's what he would have wanted."

She took a step backwards. "Get out of here. And if I..."

"No."

A's brow furrowed. "What?"

"No." Red sighed. "I can't win this tournament. I don't have the motivation, or the ability. I'm quite happy to just stay here."

"What? You want..."

"I've made my peace." Red said. "It's so nice here. Please, go ahead. Someone's going to have to do it anyway, might as well be you and a bullet."

A raised the gun, pointing it at his head. "You... are sure?"

He smiled at her. "Best of luck. And I hope you find peace before the end. Shoot me."

"..."

"Praise He..."

**Bang.**

xXx

**Napoleon** calmly leveled his rifle at **AJ's** neck.

AJ gave a yelp, and copied his action. The barrel of the shotgun came up, clasped in two trembling, sweaty hands.

Napoleon looked him dead in the eye, and gave his head a slight shake.

It was easy, now. The people in the tank had murdered Pearl. He'd killed the boy. Now, he just needed to bring down the other one. He had a purpose. And that let him feel cold.

But AJ was no threat. Or, at least, he didn't have to be. In fact, he could be useful.

"I'm not going to shoot you. Put the gun down."

"H... how do I know that?" AJ stuttered.

"Because this is a sniper rifle. You came in the northern road. You stopped at the building with the black glass doors. I could have shot you a dozen times. Or, I could have shot you just then. There are bigger threats out there, and I need allies." Napoleon lowered his rifle a touch. "Lower the gun."

AJ stared at him. Napoleon could almost see his mind working. Finally, the boy took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded, lowered the weapon.

Napoleon slung his rifle back over his shoulder. AJ wasn't going to turn on him. It wasn't in his nature. Slowly, so as not to panic AJ, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a bloody metal wristband.

"This is a C-Gear device." he said. "That Fennel woman was using it to teleport."

"I... I saw."

"I found it lying next to some bodies." Napoleon continued. "I'm not very good with computers, so I haven't been able to get it to work, but I thought you might have better luck."

That was a lie. He just didn't want to test an unknown technology on himself.

Napoleon felt a twinge of guilt. He pushed it down. He was going to kill Pearl's killer. That was his mission. That was what mattered.

"I'll hand you the C-Gear if you hand me your shotgun." Napoleon said. He didn't want to risk AJ disappearing with both. "You know I'm not going to shoot you, so there's no danger."

AJ thought about it for a second. "Okay... I'm not very good with computers either, but I'll do my best."

They swapped. AJ tapped the screen. It flashed.

The other boy looked up at him, having unconsciously accepted Napoleon as the leader. "It wants a fingerprint."

Napoleon thought about it. It was worth the risk. "Do it."

AJ pressed his thumb up against the screen. Immediately, a cheery face popped up. Fennel.

"Hello there!" the woman burbled happily. "According to this, there's an unauthorized person attempting to use this C-Gear! Which probably means I'm dead. So, first of all, congratulations on your victory!"

AJ looked up at Napoleon, eyes uncertain.

"Second..."

Two barbed metal tendrils shot out of the base of the C-Gear, coiling themselves around . The boy yelped in pain, trying to let go of the machine, but they held fast.

"My C-Gear device is about to fuck you up!" Fennel laughed. "Cheers, dumbass!"

The screen turned off. But Fennel's laugh remained, echoing around the alleyway. And the air around AJ began to ripple and darken, like he was being shrouded in smoke.

"Get it off GET IT OFF!" AJ yelled!

Napoleon began to move forward to help. And then froze.

Because there were _eyes_ in the smoke.

AJ let out a scream, vanishing in a roiling miasma of blackness. A chilling, chittering sound pierced the air, complete with the sound of ripping, tearing flesh. Napoleon could see motion in the darkness, strange, unidentifiable shapes flailing and biting at the struggling boy.

Napoleon stepped backwards. A dozen glowing red eyes locked onto him, picking up the movement.

They narrowed.

Napoleon ran.

xXx

"**AOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

"**WAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"**

Chittering madly, a black insectoid launched itself into the air off the rooftop barrier, scythe-arms stretched out to strike. A furry claw caught it in mid-air, catching it in its chest and flinging it off the roof.

**Aoooo** howled her challenge to the skies, tongues of drool trailing down from a slavering black mouth. A giant, black moth-thing with glowing red eyes zoomed from above in an aerial attack, and the werewolf caught-it mid flight, tearing it apart.

At the other end of the rooftop, **Wattson** jogged back and forth, firing off bolts of electricity at the shadowy flying creatures trying to take off his head. "Wahahahah! So nice to see that everyone is so full of zip!"

Another black insectoid clambered up over the wall. Wattson rushed to meet it, placing a hand on its forehead. "Welcome! Wahahahaha!"

He fired up his gantlet. The creature screamed, flying backwards in an explosion of light.

"Waha..."

A whooshing sound from behind him caught his attention. Wattson jumped to the side, avoiding Aoooo's claw with inches to spare. "Werewolf! I'm glad you're charged up, but why not wait until..."

"RAAAAAAR!"

"Okay then!" Wattson leveled his gauntlets at Aoooo and let fly. The pulse took the werewolf in the chest, flinging her back across the rooftop.

"Chichichi!"

Something heavy slammed into him from behind, sending him tumbling forwards. By some miracle, he ended up on his back. The black insect came in hard, scythes raised high. Wattson raised his gauntlet high, blasting its head off in an explosion of black gunk.

"RRRRRRAAAAA!"

Wattson rolled out of the way as Aoooo attacked him yet again, gravel flying every which way. The portly man pushed himself to his feet. "As electrifying as this battle is, I think I much recharge!"

Wattson took off in a run, slowing down only to blast another insect-creature off the roof. Reaching the edge, the man leapt into space.

And activated his foot-thrusters.

"Wahahahaha!" Wattson took off through the air. "What a beautiful night for a fly! You..."

He stopped. Because out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aoooo charging towards the roof, with no signs of stopping.

"Uh oh."

The were wolf jumped. Wattson tried to get out of the way.

It didn't work.

Aoooo hit him like a truck, sending him spiraling downwards through the air. Wattson felt the claws pierce his back, and knew his time had come.

Well then. He would end this the only way he knew how.

Wattson threw back his head, and laughed. "Wahahahahahahah! Wahahahahah!"

"WAHAHAHAHAH..."

He hit the adjacent building. Headfirst.


	5. Round 5

"How many?"

"Just Surge and Sabrina." **Bill** rubbed the back of his head. "And Steven and Cynthia, partially. Yourself?"

**A** leaned back against the tree. "Bruno, Koga and Pearl."

"I've burnt pretty much all my resources and set-ups on Sabrina. And your tank stopped working. But we both want Napoleon de..."

"Yes."

Bill smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Well then. I think we might have ourselves a mutual enemy."

* * *

From his well-hidden spot of concealment on a nearby rooftop, **Napoleon** pressed the scope up to his eye, scanning the building's windows.

Nothing. It was completely dark.

Bill and A had set themselves up in an office supply building, just on the outskirts of the town. They'd blocked up the windows. And Napoleon really did not want to have to be the first one inside.

The fury was still there. But it was cold. He was in full control.

He shuffled onto his side. "You ready?"

**Aoooo** gave a determined nod. "He... killed Sabrina."

Napoleon nodded sympathetically. "You go in first. I'll cover you from here."

Aoooo grunted, then pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the door. Napoleon adjusted his rifle, shuffling around to a more comfortable position.

Four minutes later, a thundering roar split the air. A huge, brown shape lunged out of the alley downstairs, then took off at full pelt towards the office building. Within seconds, it hit the front door, flinging it off its hinges.

There was another roar, followed by a series of explosions. Napoleon could actually track Aoooo's progress through the building based on the flashes of light shining through the windows. He kept his rifle trained on the building.

Five minutes later, and the door on the roof of the office supply building was flung open. Bill stumbled out, sliding out of sight around a corner. A few seconds later, Aoooo followed. The werewolf had burns all down the right side of her body, pens sticking out of her chest and face, and what looked to be a giant staple-remover clamped around her right shoulder. It just seemed to be making her angrier, though.

Napoleon was about to try and take a shot at Bill when a figure burst out of the office building's front door. A.

Napoleon lined up the shot. She didn't know where he was. There was no hurry.

He lined her up in the crosshairs. Even from here, he could see the hatred on her face, her lips curled back in rage as she tried to locate him.

And there... we... g...

An explosion from the office building roof broke his concentration. He fired, but the shot went wide.

And somehow, A caught the noise.

Her head snapped up. Her eyes locked onto his. And went wide with fury.

Napoleon tried to get a second shot off, but A was too fast. The girl left his line of sight, heading towards his building.

Up on the roof, Aoooo was still trying to bring down Bill. In the corner of his eye, Napoleon watched Bill leap off an air conditioning vent and deliver a full payload of pepper spray to Aoooo's face. The werewolf howled, thrashing about madly.

Napoleon took a deep beath and got to his feet, climbing up onto the concrete shell that surrounded the door that A would have to come through. He prepped his rifle, swallowing.

This was not an ideal situation.

The doors were flung open, and a dark figure flew through. Napoleon fired, caching it in the midsection.

It clattered to the ground. It was a shop dummy.

A hand snaked around the doorframe, latching onto his arm. Napoleon was ripped from his purch and shoved into the hard concrete below.

A kicked him in the face. Hard. "I am going to FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Stars danced across Napoleon's vision. Fighting off the grogginess, he lashed out, catching A in the back of the knee. The girl slipped, hitting the ground next to him.

Napoleon rolled over, climbing on top of her, grabbing her throat in both hands. "You killed Pearl."

A spat in his face, then lashed out with a right cross that caught him in the face like a sledgehammer. Napoleon fell backwards. A scrabbled to her feet, yanking her knife out of its sheath. "Fuck you!"

She came in hard. Napoleon scrabbled backwards, then rolled to the side, barely avoiding having the knife shoved into his throat. The rifle had slid across the roof, coming to rest against the wall. If he could just...

A came in again. Napoleon jerked backwards, the tip of the knife actually touching the skin of his face. The boy flipped himself over and dived across the rooftop, going for the weapon.

A charged forward.

Napoleon grabbed the rifle.

The knife came down.

The gun came up.

**Bang.**

A came to a stop. The barrel of the rifle was pressed up against her sternum. And a thick, red stain was steadily spreading across her clothing.

A blinked. "W... what?"

The knife clattered to the ground. She raised a trembling hand to her chest. "But... I was..."

Napoleon gave the rifle a light shove, then pulled it away. A stumbled backwards, then to the side. Her eyes locked onto his, and for a second, there wasn't even any anger, only sadness. "...Brendan."

Then, A slid off the edge off the roof, and disappeared into space.

Groaning in pain, Napoleon climbed to his feet. Still groggy from A's onslaught, he stumbled across to the edge of the roof, looking over.

The crumpled, broken form of A lay still in the streets below.

She was very, most definitely, dead.

Pearl was avenged.

...

And it did not help one bit.

Movement caught his eye. Napoleon looked up, just in time to see Bill fling a hunk of what looked like meat in Aoooo's direction. Aoooo caught it in her jaws, growled angrily, and then it exploded.

Aoooo's entire top half was just ripped away. Bill's legs fell out from under him, and he went down onto his knees, panting with exhaustion.

Then his head came up. His gaze locked onto Napoleon. And the message was clear.

_'You're next.'_

Napoleon raised his rifle. But he wasn't quick enough.

Bill dropped out of sight. He was gone.


	6. Round 6

The wind came up hard over the crest of the mountain, sending sharp pieces of ice whipping through the air. Napoleon collapsed backwards onto the rocks, raw, frostbitten hands balled into fists, every shallow breath sending spikes of pain through his body.

The chase had been going on for days. He'd been on the move constantly, through cities, through tundra, and still, that green-haired demon chased him.

He didn't have the strength to go any further. This was where it would end.

A crunching noise caught his ear. Napoleon forced his eyes open, fighting off waves of exhaustion.

At the other end of the plateau, a metal pick was embedded in the snow.

He was already here.

Groaning in pain, Napoleon pushed himself up into a kneeling position, the rocks beneath cutting into his hands. Frozen fingers pulled at the rifle bolt handle, frantically reading the weapon for Bill's arrival.

And then he was there. But at the other end of the plateau.

Napoleon swung around, trying to get off the shot before Bill reached him. The muzzle flashed once, and then the man was upon him, ragged and bloody with eyes filled with fire and vengeance.

The gun was ripped from his hands. Strong hands locked around his throat, driving his head into the rocks. Napoleon kicked out, adrenaline giving fuel to his fading muscles, and Bill stumbled backwards, blood dripping from a torn mouth.

Something caught his eye. There was a thick, red stain spreading across Bill's midsection. Napoleon's gaze went to his rifle. His shot had hit. And it looked fatal.

The other man would be dead within minutes.

Napoleon lurched towards the edge. He needed to get away. Just get away, and wait for Bill to...

Something crashed into his side, sending him tumbling into the icy snow. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was flipped onto his back.

An elbow pressed down hard on his neck. Napoleon struggled for a moment, but the last burst of adrenaline faded away, and he couldn't muster the strength. The boy sagged into the ground and closed his eyes, utterly spent.

Bill crouched over him. The man's face was ragged and worn, his lips curled back into a snarl. A long, thin knife was clutched in his right hand, pulled back to strike.

...

Was this how it ended?

Sixty-two people were dead. And now, one of the last remaining two was going to kill the other one, before dying of his injuries? That was how it ended?

He'd killed three people; A, Brendan and Alice, with his own hands. He'd been directly responsible for the deaths of at least two others. He'd avenged Pearl.

And what had it done? What had it achieved?

Napoleon had killed and lied and cheated and betrayed. He'd become the worst that humanity had to offer, done everything and anything he could to stay alive.

And it had left him hollow.

...

The knife hadn't come down yet.

Napoleon opened his eyes. Bill was still there, staring down at him. His eyes were conflicted, unidentifiable emotions fighting for dominance. And the knife had stopped, about halfway towards his neck.

Napoleon didn't have the strength to take advantage. He just lay there, and waited.

"What happens?"

Napoleon's face contorted with confusion. "What?"

Bill pushed his face in close. "If both of us die here, what happens?"

What?

"I... don't know." Napoleon whispered.

Bill stared at him for a long minute.

"You killed my daughter." The man muttered, flecks of blood accompanying his words. "You threw others into danger so you wouldn't have to face it yourself.

"Is this who you are, Napoleon? Is this all you can be? Because we have both killed, and I hate you with _every fibre of my being_ but I understand why you did what you did. And if we both die here, if I cut your throat, then nothing happens. It just ENDS. But if this is all you can be, then maybe that's for the best."

"You lost people too. You've been driven by the same thing I have, and I know what that feels like, but I am not going to let you live if that's who you're going to be." Bill hissed, fury warring in his voice with a desperate desire for it not to have all been for nothing. "_Napoleon, can you be better than this?_"

Better.

'Yes.' That was the answer Bill wanted to hear. That was the smart thing to say. That was the answer that would save him.

"I... don't know."

"But I think so."

Bill's fingers gripped his chin. Wide, brown eyes that were at once utterly mad and completely sane locked onto Napoleon's own, pinning him down into the snow. The man leaned in close, so close that their foreheads were nearly touching.

"**Then earn this.**"

And then, the light faded. Bill slumped forward, knife falling from nerveless fingers, head coming to rest on Napoleon's shoulder. He didn't move again.

xXx

Napoleon didn't know how long he lay there. But when he opened his eyes again, the storm was over. The clouds were gone, and moon hung in the sky above, bright and full. A gentle breeze curled up over the mountain, tickling at his skin.

Bill was still on top of him. He was cold now, the warmth of life having long departed. The boy edged himself out from under the man, pushing the dead-weight off to the side, and shakily climbed to his feet.

He looked out, at the icy valley shining with reflected moonlight, then down, at the body of the man who had let him live.

"...Thanks."

Napoleon turned his eyes to the moon, and suddenly a surge of emotion, of hope and fear and joy and sorrow and pain and _life_ all tangled up as one ripped through his chest with so much force it hurt.

He stood there a moment longer, then turned and limped across the plateau, tucking the butt of his rifle under his arm as a crutch.

He didn't know what was going to happen next. Given his condition, Napoleon wasn't even sure he was going to be able to make it off the mountain.

_"Earn this."_

But he had his life.

And for now... just for now... that was enough.


End file.
